


Stories of an Operator

by Rexcaliburr



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Burns, But I don't want to ruin anything with my awful writing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Fun, Hunting, M/M, Mutation, Nightmares, No Sex, Probably no OC action in here, Reader-Insert, Scars, Slice of Life, Sorry boys I know y'all are disappointed in me, Stag hunting, Suicide, There's all sorts of shit in here, Torture, Zombies, actually just having a good time, being shot to death, lots of shooting, when they're not like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-01-04 17:00:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18347891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rexcaliburr/pseuds/Rexcaliburr
Summary: A collection of drabbles, one-shots, and more looking into the lives of Team Rainbow's Operators. From the chaos of the battlefield to the quiet nights off duty, the lives of the Operators are just as colourful as their team's name. Includes some reader-insert for your pleasure.





	1. Nightmare in the city of Truth or Consequences

The helicopter was going down. Even with his best to keep it in control, it spun wildly out of control. It was a machine with its own mind, vicious, determined, and relentless. It had one duty, and that was to crash into _something, anything,_ and probably kill the man in the cockpit who was desperately fighting against the helicopter.

 

After several more violent spins, the helicopter smashed right into the roof of an auto parts store, though it didn't stop yet. The force of the crash split the entire machine in half, the cockpit half wrecking through the roof, and the tail bit caught against the roof. An electric-like jolt shot through Jäger's arms at the impact, but after another second or two, the sickening feeling of constant spinning finally stopped.

 

The visor of his helmet was smashed and he carefully brushed away bits of broken glass from his face, before pushing the smashed visor away entirely over his helmet. Looking over the cockpit window, the cockpit was hanging maybe a metre off the ground, held in the smashed roof of the store. He unclipped his seatbelt and wriggled out, smashing open the cockpit window before dropping down. 

 

He tried to land standing, but the pain in his hip had his left leg buckling under his weight, and he dropped into a kneel. "Ah... shit," He hissed, looking down to see blood leaking through. 

 

That was problem one. Problem two was the horrific mutant visages of people outside, who had certainly noticed him from the incredibly loud crash. They looked familiar, and this whole situation felt strangely new yet familiar, like he had been through this before. One of the mutants, reddened with spikes growing from the human- no, _creature's_ \- back, arms and legs. Jäger had certainly seen this _thing_ before, but it didn't attack. It eyed him curiously at first, but when it got closer, Jäger wondered just how this thing could see with its featureless face. No eyes, no nose, just a ring-shaped mouth with teeth lining the entire thing.

 

Yet oddly, Jäger didn't scream. He just silently backed up, until the creature's mouth opened and a claw-like hand lashed out for him, hundreds of eyes embedded into the hand, blinking at him.

 

Only then, did he let out the most terrified yell in his entire life.

 

Yet, when he sat up, the room was completely silent, without any notion to him having made a single sound. His body was tangled in the sheets, his skin ice-cold yet the blankets feeling like they were on fire. He shoved himself out of the blankets, burying his face in his hands. His palms were cold and felt even colder when he placed them against his warm face. 

 

Sierra Paradise had happened so long ago. Months, maybe even a year. How long had it been? He couldn't remember. But it shouldn't haunt him still, not for this long. The nightmares had started the night after coming back from Sierra Paradise. Doc said it was normal. They went away for awhile, but then they came back, and it impacted his sleep. Jackal had advised telling Doc about it, so he did. They went away again, this time for many months. In the last few weeks, they had come back, more terrifying, and realer than they had ever been.

 

Jäger sighed, and forced himself out of bed and to the bathroom down the hall. Even with his jacket on, he was still numbingly cold, especially in his fingertips as he wandered down the hallway, unable to take his mind off the vicious thoughts and visions his mind conjured up. 

 

He must have made enough noise to wake someone up, because when he looked back, someone else was down the hall. It was Jackal, who as expected, was up. At this point, Jackal actually sleeping was such a surprise and a nice thing to see, and very unexpected. The Spaniard had a coffee mug in his hands, but he didn't actually notice Jäger for Jackal walked the other way down the hall. 

 

The German decided not to pursue, figuring Jackal had better things to do, and continued his tired trudge through the hall until he finally made it to the bathroom. 

 

It was completely empty inside, and the motion-sensor lights flickered on as he entered, accidentally slamming the door open by leaning his weight on it. He just stared blankly at it, then headed right for the sink to splash water on his face. He let the water run for a bit before cupping his hands under the tap and threw the water on his face, getting it on the collar of his shirt and jacket as well. After he turned the tap off, he just rested his hands on the sink and stared down at it in the stark white light, trying to erase the terrible memories of the nightmare while water slowly dripped off his face.

 

Someone had definitely heard him open the door a little too loud, for a couple seconds later, Jackal was at the bathroom door, watching him, coffee mug still in his hands. The tall Spaniard remained silent, to the point where Jäger didn't even notice him until he looked up and found Jackal watching him through the mirror.

 

"You okay, amigo? You don't look so good," Jackal mused, though genuine concern could be heard in his voice despite his deadpan face. It was just the lack of sleep, for he would have expressed more concern if he wasn't so damn tired.

 

Jäger shook his head, water still dripping into the sink. "Nightmares," He muttered lowly, closing his eyes as though he might just fall asleep right there. Just as quickly he had closed his eyes, they snapped back open, not wanting to get sucked back into that terrible nightmare.

 

Jackal looked down at his mug, half empty now. "I understand. I've noticed you for awhile now."

 

They lapsed back into silence for a bit, before Jäger finally found the will to leave the sink. He turned to Jackal, looking very tired, and pretty upset about the whole thing. Jackal raised an eyebrow, and figured that his friend was not going to go back to sleep if he was this shaken up.

 

"Tell you what, I'm not sleeping, and I don't think you are either. What say you we just go somewhere else, take your mind off things? I've heard you're pretty good at pool," Jackal suggested. The team did have a pool table downstairs in the recreation room which Jäger was admittedly, pretty good at. He was very accurate, and few dared to challenge him when there were stakes besides their dignity. 

 

Jäger smiled slightly at the thought, and nodded. "Alright, let's go then."


	2. These Scarred Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reader-insert ficlet exploring Thermite's scarred hands. Kinda self indulgent, because I really do adore his hands. Scarred as they may be, they're perfect.

You remember Thermite's hands. Everyone knows about them - the way they look, how rough they feel, what had happened to them and why he kept them bandaged. It wasn't a secret, for people did ask. Thermite never hid the truth, but his descriptions were vague. "They're burned," He would always say. People never questioned beyond that. It was all they needed to know anyway

 

But you, you remember them in a much different way. They're not just 'burned' like he says they are. To you, those scarred hands meant so much more to you. They were memories, beautiful and painful in every way. You loved them anyway. 

 

You had been there before it all happened. When his hands weren't bound in bandages every single day. His hands had been rough then, but in a more calloused way. Those hands said a lot about him and all the hard work he did. There were faint scars and untold stories on them, and when he touched you, even just to drag you out of harm's way, you loved it. 

 

He knew very well that you enjoyed his touch,  and he made sure to let you know that too when he traced you and your body. His touch was warm and embracing, making you feel like you were where you belonged, no matter where you were or what the situation was. Even without saying a single word, you knew he loved you just from the way he touched you. Whether it was pulling you close for a kiss, holding your hand on a warm summer evening, or picking your wounded body off the ground to take you to safety in the midst of chaos and hellfire, you knew. 

 

You were also there when it happened. Well, not quite. You weren't exactly by his side when his prototype brimstone charge detonated a little too early during a test. You were just down the hall, and you came running as fast as your legs would carry you when you heard the violent roar of flames and the shouting. 

 

Thankfully the charge had malfunctioned and instead of exploding and possibly killing Thermite, they had burned a with a massive flame instead. He was okay, but his hands were red and blistering and oh so painful when he so much as twitched a finger. You knew how to help at the moment, but it pained you to see him this way.

 

You were the one who took him to see Doc, and hung around like a shadow when Doc tried to dismiss you. You couldn't bear to leave Thermite, not like this, but you had to eventually. Doc refused to let you back into his office after that, knowing that your worrying and constant questioning was only going to distract him. He did let you visit hours later once he was done, but your heart shattered to see your lover looking so damn miserable over the whole thing.

 

For the first week, he wasn't allowed to do much with his hands while they healed, but you made it your personal duty to be there and do whatever he needed. Getting water, helping him write stuff down... you did it all. You even took on some of his paperwork, sitting next to him on his bed while he told you what to do and write down. You did it without complaint. In fact, this gave you an excuse to be with him even more. 

 

And you both loved it.

 

His hands did heal over the time of a month, but they were left permanently scarred, and still sensitive to the touch. He kept them bound in bandages, even after his hands were back in working order. His touch didn't feel the same with the scar tissue or the bandages in the way, but you got over it quickly, and his touch still felt as loving as it did before.

 

As the months went by, he still kept them bound, keeping the worst of the scars on the back of his palms hidden away from the world. Even with the scars, and the bandages in the way... his touch always felt the same, you admitted. They never felt any less warm, or caring, or loving.

 

And truth be told? You loved those scarred hands more than ever.


	3. The Jackal Before Dawn (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prompt asking what Jackal does on a day off was sent to me by aesos-caliber on Tumblr! This one's for you my friend, and it's got a second part coming up later! Enjoy <3

Every Operator had a different life outside of who they were on the battlefield, or even in training. For some, their on-duty and off-duty lives were like black and white, clear as night and day. They were almost two completely different people. People like Lion or Thermite or Glaz were like this.

 

Some others led lives so confused and muddled. They were more of a bleeding mess of different shades of gray with no clear distinction between being on or off-duty. Most of Team Rainbow was like this. You can only spend so long leading a military-based life before the colours get all messy and bleed into one another. Some just couldn't get out of that military mindset - others, they chose not to.

 

Jackal was one such person who had spent so many years in the military, he sometimes couldn't distinct between his working life and his actual life. Sometimes, having off-days were a chore, because he never knew what to do. At least, that used to be him, especially in his early days of being a part of Team Rainbow. Life back then was so rigorous with constant training, violent fights, sleepless nights. The military mindset had been drilled so deep into his skull that he just couldn't get out of it.

 

As time went on though, he learned to relax. Yes, being a part of Rainbow was tough, but if he constantly pushed himself to the limit and never stepped back... well, an old body could only take so much. Knowing when to relax and recharge was just as important as knowing how to defeat international terrorist threats. 

 

Today was one of those off-days. For once, in a long, long time, he had a pretty good rest, even though he was up before the sun had risen. Still, he had clocked in about five hours of sleep without getting up in the middle of the night, which was a win in his book. Knowing the sun would be up soon, he decided to do something he hadn't done in awhile.

 

He found himself climbing up to the roof of Hereford Base, where he just sat. All around the base was military camps, for as far as the eye could see. Hangars for military planes, and one was sure to hold Jäger's helicopter, training grounds set up with all sorts of obstacles and settings, even the training house that was used for exercises could be seen from the sleeping quarters. 

 

The tranquility of the roof, washed in the golden glow of a quiet sunrise, was such a stark comparison to the dark, bloody chaos of the battlefield. He had seen so much chaos, so much death. He had long since been hardened to these things. He had watched people die in front of him, sometimes by his hands. He was jaded. But the beautiful sunrise reminded him for a bit, what it was to be human, to enjoy the simplest things, soldier or not.

 

Only once the sun was high enough in the sky to no longer cast the stunning golden glow did Jackal decide to get off the roof and get some coffee. He swung himself back down, dropping down onto the balcony and strolling back in.

 

The base was alive with activity already. People were in the pantry making breakfast, arguing over who got to use the coffee machine first. Jäger and Maverick were already at the pool table, finishing up a game that had been on pause since the night before. Thatcher had decided to split up Smoke and Maestro at the coffee machine from their argument by quietly getting coffee and making off with it just as the two of them noticed, drawing both of them away from it to chase down Thatcher.

 

Jackal took that as his moment to strike, grabbing coffee before either Smoke or Maestro returned. He found Mira, Ash, and Thermite at a table and joined them when Mira gestured for him to join.

 

"Ryad! _Ven, ven, siéntate!" (C ome, come, sit down!)_ Mira called, gesturing to to the empty seat beside her. 

 

Who was Jackal to turn her down? He and Mira were long time friends, he would never have the gall to turn her down. He placed his mug on the table and sat down, greeting Ash and Thermite as he did so. 

_"B_ _uenos días,_ Eliza, Jordan," _(Good morning, Ash, Jordan.)_ He greeted, taking a sip of coffee from his mug.

 

"Mornin' Ryad," Thermite replied.

 

"Hey Ryad," Ash chimed in, "You look like you actually slept well for once."

 

Jackal chuckled, a smile dancing on his lips. "For once, yes. And for that I'm grateful."

 

Mira rested her elbows on the table, scrolling through her phone. "So Ryad, what are you plans for today? Since you're not on duty and all that."

 

He never actually thought about it. He was typically structured, but he had learned to just go with the flow on his off days, so when Mira posed the question, he realised he didn't have an answer. "I uh, don't actually know. What were you planning on doing?" 

 

Mira grinned at Ash, who grinned back. The two had developed a rivalry, but that rivalry had also opened the door for friendship to bloom between them. "We're actually going to see a wrestling match," Ash responded, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. It was so like her. Ash was naturally, an aggressive person, and loved to watch other people get aggressive at each other. It was why she got along so well with Thermite, who also shared in her amusement at watching other people fight for entertainment.

 

"You guys are going into town? I'll probably stay at base and find something to do. Maybe clean out my locker or something," Jackal muttered.

 

Thermite snorted at the comment and rolled his eyes. "Really, Ryad? It's your day off and you want to spend it _cleaning?_ I reckon you can find something more entertaining than that. Maybe talk to Maxim, he's off duty and I reckon you hunters can find something to do, huh?" At that, Thermite's watch started beeping and he looked down, before downing the remains of his coffee and getting up. "Come on, we best get going if we want to beat traffic."

 

Mira, Ash, and Thermite left, and Jackal did take Thermite's idea to see if Kapkan was down to go hunting and approached the Russian, who was locked in an arm wrestling match with Fuze. 

 

"Hey, Maxim-" Jackal started, but was cut off immediately by Kapkan raising his free hand to silence him.

 

Jackal just watched in amusement, and smirked as Kapkan found a surge of power in him to overpower Fuze and slam the latter's arm into the table. They finally released their grips from each other, Kapkan grinning in glee at his victory over his comrade, then looked up at Jackal. "What did you want to say?" Kapkan asked.

 

"Was wondering if you wanted to go hunting today," Jackal mused, and Kapkan was up in an instant. 

 

"Well, why didn't you say so earlier? I am always down for a hunt." 

 

Jackal rolled his eyes, muttering about how it was Kapkan that had gestured for him to be silent, before he left to go get his things to prepare for the day of hunting ahead. 


	4. Blitz, Bandit, and the Bernese Mountain Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blitz and Bandit find a trapped dog and work to free her, but they grow attached to her. They're not ready to let her go just so soon, so they take it up with Six to find a compromise that makes everyone happy.
> 
> Also, doggo will feature in some future fics! But this means that she needs a name, so if you got any suggestions for names, drop it in the comments!

On his off days, Bandit never stayed in base. He liked the fresh air outside, even if the fresh air was constantly damp and rainy. This was London after all, but as long as he didn't have to stick around in base amidst the chaos, he was happy to be outside. He found himself strolling around a park with Blitz who was just recovering from the flu and refused to stay in base any longer. 

 

The rain had let up for awhile, but the sky remained grey and gloomy, threatening to start raining again any time soon. Blitz and Bandit were close friends, some other Operators even argued that they may have been interested in each other. They never confirmed nor denied the theories, but things did remained rather strictly professional or platonic at the most. 

 

They had made it about half way through the park when it began to drizzle. Bandit looked up at the sky, a drop of rain splashing right onto his face. " _S_ _chieße," (Shit)_ Bandit muttered, wiping the water off his face. "Still want to keep going?" He asked, glancing sidelong at Blitz, who reached his hand out. Small drops of water splashed onto his palm, and he retreated his hand.

 

Blitz was going to nod, but the rain started to get heavier. "I don't think we should," He replied, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head.

 

Bandit smirked. "Thought so. Wouldn't want you falling sick again, hm? Come on, let's head back."

 

They still had half the park to clear to get back, so they hurried through, their clothes getting soaked through by the rain. Their shoes were wet, splashing water all about, and they were close to the entrance when Blitz heard a pitiful whining through the rhythmical patter of rain against the ground and the grass.

 

He reached out to tap Bandit, stopping the older Operator. "Dom, do you hear that?"

 

Bandit stopped, listening carefully. The whine came again, and he nodded. "Sounds like a dog. Let's check it out, maybe someone lost their dog." 

 

They scoured the park carefully, though the sound of the rain and wind distorted where the calls were coming from. They checked every bush and tree near where they thought the whines were coming from, without much luck. Blitz had gone so far as to look near the park border and lo and behold, he found a dog! It was a large dog, but with the rain soaking its fur, it looked rather pitiful and sad.

 

"Dom! Dom, where are you? I found the dog!" Blitz called through the rain. Moments later, Bandit came running, splashing water everywhere. The two of them squatted down near the dog, Bandit creeping closer to see what was wrong. Blitz let the dog sniff his hand, then started to pet the dog and speak soothingly in German to calm the dog down.

 

Bandit clicked his tongue, seeing that the dog was stuck in the fence bordering the park. The wire fence was digging into the dog's flanks, not allowing the dog to push through to get into the park, or pull back out. It didn't have a collar or anything indication that it was owned, but it didn't look like a mutt, so it likely wasn't a stray.

 

"Looks like it's stuck pretty bad," Bandit muttered, pushing back some of the dog's fur to see how deep the wire had cut in. There were some bloody scratches on the dog's body where it had likely struggled against the fence. Bandit wished he had his wire cutters with him, but since he didn't the only thing he could do was try to pry the wire away without scratching the dog further. "Keep the dog still, I'll try to pull the wires away."

 

Blitz nodded, continuing to talk to the dog and stroke its head while Bandit got to work, carefully, finding open ends to twist away. Some dug pretty deep and the dog whined and growled at times when some force was needed to get the sharp wire ends away. Rain soaked all three of them, but neither Operator was leaving until the dog was free. It took another good twenty minutes before Bandit was able to twist all the wires away, though he did scratch himself on one of the sharp wire ends that slipped with the rain.

 

Once the wires were no longer keeping the dog trapped, Blitz reached forward and slipped one hand under the dog's chest and the other behind its hind legs, carefully lifting the dog up into his arms. The dog was certainly heavy and well fed for a long time, so Blitz thought it may had either escaped from its owner or been abandoned. The latter thought made him scowl, but the scowl softened as the dog twisted her head to look at him and rested her chin against him.

 

They had walked from base to the park, but no way were they going to walk through the heavy rain, dog in hand, all the way back, so Bandit hailed a cab and paid extra to let two soaked soldiers and a dog in. The cab driver said nothing about the situation, but was able to identify the dog as a Bernese mountain dog. He drove them back as close to base as possible, and Blitz and Bandit had to walk in the rain from there once more.

 

This time, Bandit took over holding the dog all the way back to base, and brought the dog to Doc, all while he was still dripping wet. Doc was not expecting a dog to be coming into his office.

 

"Dominic, who's dog is that?" Doc asked, eyeing the dog and his two soaking wet colleagues, dripping water all over his office. He looked beyond them and saw a trail of water behind them. 

 

Bandit placed the dog on the table, shrugging off his jacket. "I'm not sure. Elias and I found it stuck in the fence at the park. Pretty deep cuts from the wire." He reached out and parted the dog's heavy fur to reveal the injuries the fence had inflicted on the dog. Doc had a look, and nodded.

 

"Now I'm no veterinarian, but I'm sure I can at least get these wounds cleaned. Nothing looks like it won't heal with time and rest. Now go, you're getting water all over my office. You two can come back once you're not soaking wet," Doc ordered, chasing them both out of his office. 

 

The dog was now in Doc's skilled hands, and went to take a shower. Only after they were dry and warm did they return to Doc's office, where the dog had been mostly dried with a towel, its wounds cleaned. The dog rested on a pile of towels under Doc's table, one more towel laid on top of it to keep it warm. Doc pushed his chair back as Blitz and Bandit returned, thankful that they were no longer tracking rain water everywhere they stepped. 

 

"She's alright," Doc reported, "though now it begs the question what you're going to do with her. Are you going to find her owner or find someone to keep her?" He asked. 

 

"It's a she?" Blitz mused, kneeling down by the dog to stroke her head. "That's a good girl," He cooed, the dog lifting her head to lick his hand. "I don't know, I was thinking of keeping her."

 

Doc raised an eyebrow. Keeping a dog on a military base, it was a bit of an unusual idea. None of them were sure if Six would agree. Still, neither Blitz nor Bandit really wanted to let the dog go now. They didn't even have an idea where to start looking for her owner, if they did try that. She had no collar, and there were hundreds of homes near the park. Anyone could have dropped her off that, or if she escaped, that made their search area even bigger, unreasonably so.

 

Doc sighed, understanding the situation. "Well, I can keep her here for now since she can't really go anywhere while she's healing. I think Six would understand that much and my office has enough space. You can talk to Six about keeping her and see where that goes." 

 

That was the only logical way of handling things for now. There was always someone in the base at all times anyway, so finding someone to look after the dog if Blitz, Bandit, and Doc were unavailable would be easy. And so, a week later, Blitz and Bandit found themselves in Six's home, while he tried to process their request about keeping the dog.

 

"I... I'm really not sure about your request," Six muttered, his fingers steeped against each other. "I can see why finding her owner would be hard since she has no collar or tags, but don't you have any friends or family outside that can take her?" At his feet, the dog sniffed around, her tail high up in the air, wagging. She was excited to meet new people, and this tall person with the glasses, he smelled like a friend.

 

Blitz and Bandit shared a look. "They're all in Germany, and I don't think we can really just send the dog overseas like that," Blitz argued. 

 

Six nodded slowly. "Okay, I can see you'r both quite adamant about keeping her. But think about it, how are you going to look after her? Take her for walks? Feed her? It's a lot of responsibility to look after a dog, especially one of her size. She certainly can't be let out either in case she enters the military zone."

 

The two Operators went quiet. It was true, there was a lot of things to consider. Already, Doc keeping the dog in his office for just a week had been tough, especially as she regained her strength and energy and wanted to be let out. She did get her play time in with the Operators since they did love her presence around the base, but she wanted to run about outside, and that they couldn't do.

 

Six sighed, reaching down to pet the dog. She lifted herself up on her hind legs, placing her front paws on his lap, tongue lolling out excitedly. Six had a long, good look at her, before he sighed, relenting. "Perhaps we can find a compromise. I can keep the dog for you two. She'll be taken care of here and on your off days, you can take her back. Then when you're on duty again, she returns to me. She won't run the risk of getting onto training grounds or running off while in Hereford Base that way, you get to keep her, and she'll be well taken care of here. My wife is good with animals, and she seems to have taken a liking to me. That's what I can offer you two that makes us all happy. Although I must add, her expenses will be taken from your pay checks."

 

It was a fair compromise. Blitz and Bandit got to keep the dog, though she'd live with Six and his wife when they were on duty, and when off duty, they'd get to take the dog back. She'd be fully taken care of while with Six so they didn't have to pull time away from their duties to look after her. After a few silent glances between the two and a nod from Bandit, Blitz grinned and leaned forward.

 

"I think you've got a deal, Six."


	5. The Jackal Before Dawn (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: I'm not a hunter, I don't know much about hunting, nor do I really condone it. All this is fiction and I'm probably super inaccurate anyway.
> 
> Just a trigger warning for hunting animals including pheasant and deer, including some slightly graphic depictions.

Jackal and Kapkan headed down to a hunting preserve in Hereford, just two hours away from base to maximise the time they had to hunt. At their feet was Rainbow's newest member, a pretty Bernese Mountain dog by the name of Fia, that Blitz and Bandit had rescued from a park just two weeks ago. Fia was no hunter, having lived in town for most of her life presumably, but she adored the outdoors and was curious about everything, wanting to know what Jackal and Kapkan were up to all the time. Neither Jackal nor Kapkan had planned to take her out with them, but Blitz heard they were going hunting and asked if they wouldn't mind taking Fia to get her outdoor time while they were at it. They both liked dogs, so they had no problem with Fia.

 

Kapkan had brought with him a lot of different traps, wanting to as many of them out as possible. They ranged from simple snare traps, to far more complicated ones. Jackal brought with him a hunting rifle, as well as a hunting bow and a quiver full of arrows. It had been a long time since he had used his hunting bow, but now that the chance was given he wasn't going to let it pass.

 

They weren't looking to hunt any particular animal, just whatever they found. Quails, pheasant, deer, maybe even something bigger if they chanced upon a bigger game. As soon as they got far in enough to not have other hunters nearby, they got to work. Kapkan began to set traps around the area, while Jackal decided to scale a tree and have a better look up there. Rifle and bow on his back, he swiftly climbed up the tree and perched on a sturdy branch enough to take his weight without bending too much. He drew his rifle and looked around, listening carefully for any game nearby. 

 

As he swept the area from the tree, he found a pheasant sitting roughly fifty metres away. It didn't notice either hunter, pecking away at stuff on the ground. He would have asked Kapkan if the latter wanted the first kill, but the Russian was still busy setting up traps in various places, so Jackal decided to just have the first kill for himself.

 

At this range, the bow wouldn't even get near the pheasant, so the rifle was the way to go. He drew his rifle and gestured for Kapkan to be silent when the Russian looked up at him, wondering what the hell Jackal was doing in a tree. The bird was completely oblivious to the danger awaiting it. Jackal took his time to line up the shot, and when he squeeze the trigger, held the rifle steady.

 

The bullet went clean through the bird, not giving it a chance to even take off to safety before it fell over, dead. "Got you," Jackal grinned, climbing back down from the tree. Fia was already looking in the direction of the shot, and Jackal pet her head. "Fia, fetch."

 

Immediately the dog shot off, sniffing around to identify the bird. She returned half a minute later, holding the bird in her mouth and dropping it at Jackal's feet. He gave her another pet, scratching behind her ears. "Good girl! Maxim, you done?" 

 

Kapkan had set up his traps already, where they'd stay until it was time to return. He'd check the traps before they left and collect whatever he caught along with the traps. "Yes, done. Caught something already, huh? Or was that the dog's doing?"

 

Jackal placed an open palm on his chest, fake-pouting at Kapkan. "What, you think Fia would outshine me so quickly? You insult me sometimes." He knelt down to quickly dress the bird before storing it, before the two hunters and the dog headed deeper in to keep hunting.

 

They came across more small game - pheasant and quail mostly, and a hare once. Kapkan liked to trained himself to shoot birds mid-flight, and Fia became very useful then by charging birds to scare them into the air for him to shoot without scaring the rest of the wildlife in the area. She didn't bark at all, just creeping up close enough before jumping at them to scare the birds into flight for Kapkan to shoot.

 

But the real fun came when they came across a stag, roughly 300 metres away. Kapkan found it first and nudged Jackal, gesturing to it.

 

"Well, well, well," Jackal muttered, his eyes glistening at the sight. It had been at least two years since he hunted a stag, and one of that size too. It was a massive thing, but given its size, it would be a hard kill unless they got closer, and to get closer would risk them being seen and the stag either running off, or charging them. Both weren't favourable ideas.

 

Luckily, there were two of them, both expert hunters, and a dog. Not a hunter, but still useful nonetheless. Jackal decided to go for his bow this time, slinging the rifle back onto his back and taking out the bow. Kapkan, armed with a suppressed hunting rifle, rounded the stag in a wide radius, remaining undetected. The two hunters positioned themselves so that they were downwind of the stag, while Fia crouched near Jackal.

 

Kapkan took his time to line up the shot. Since he wasn't able to position himself directly in front of the deer in case he was spotted or the wind caught his smell, a shot to the head front the front wasn't possible, even if it was the best option, so his next option was a shot to the side, whereas Jackal positioned himself behind the deer, bow at the ready to shoot into the base of the deer's skull to sever the spine.

 

If possible, Kapkan should have been the one killing the deer with a perfectly placed shot, but when the gun went off, the deer didn't stop dead on the spot. Instead, it had turned at the worst possible moment to look in the direction of a sound, the bullet simply clipping the deer across the back.

 

Immediately, the deer took off. Kapkan cursed while Jackal sprung into action, drawing the bow and firing after it. Now, it was no longer about killing it with a single shot. They had to stop the deer from running off. The arrow slammed into the deer's hind, but it only stumbled for a bit before it kept running.

 

Fia just looked up at Jackal for a moment, tail swishing, waiting for instructions. "Fia, fetch!" Jackal ordered, and the dog was off, bounding after the wounded deer at top speed. 

 

The deer's running was hindered with the arrow in its hindquarters, and after awhile, had to slow down. This gave Fia the chance she needed to chase after it. She wasn't an aggressive dog, and just saw this as a really big thing she had to bring back. Instead of leaping for the stag or biting it, she ran past it and rounded in front, forcing the deer to turn in fright and run back towards the hunters. 

 

Jackal and Kapkan gave chase, but when they heard barking and the thunder of hooves running back towards them, Kapkan readied his rifle and Jackal drew another arrow. Fia chased the deer back, constantly jumping from one flank side to another to keep it running in a straight line back to her people. This gave the hunters a perfect opportunity. Jackal's second arrow buried into the stag's right shoulder, forcing it to stumble again, and Kapkan's bullet went clean into its brain. The deer tripped and tumbled down, collapsing on its own weight. Once it hit the ground, it went still while Fia stopped, trotting back proudly to her people, tail swishing and eyes shining as if to ask, _Did I do a good job? I did right?_

She did receive her affirmation through lots of pets and things said to her. She didn't understand what they said really, but her people sounded happy, so she was happy too! 

 

Jackal slung his bow over his shoulder again, looking down at the deer. "Now that's a good hunt. What say you we gut it then go check on your traps?"

 

Kapkan nodded, pulling out his hunting knife. "Way ahead of you."

 

Getting rid of the unwanted insides made the deer lighter and easier to carry. Fia wanted to help with carrying the deer, but couldn't really pick it up since it was so big compared to her, so she happily held a stick in her jaws instead, given to her by Kapkan to make her feel like she was being a part of it all.

 

That night, the team had roast pheasant and deer for dinner, courtesy of Jackal and Kapkan for hunting, and courtesy of Thermite, Hibana, and Mozzie figuring out how to cook it all. Fia got her share of food too under the table, and got lots of pets as she sniffed around the many pairs of legs under the table. 

 

Jackal was glad that Thermite had suggested going hunting with Kapkan. He was glad that Blitz had asked them to take Fia with them, that he had learned to just go with the flow. That was one of the best off days he had in a long time.


	6. Desensitized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lion has a bit of a crisis.

When you thought of troublemakers among Team Rainbow, the first person that often came to mind was Lion. He was the definition of trouble from his history, to his time in Team Rainbow. His past was rough with his family and a lot of bridges had nearly been entirely burned with is parents, his sister, his ex-girlfriend, and his relationship with his son was awkward. Even the present was rough - he was tense with Doc for his decisions of the past, and tense with Thatcher after the latter punched him during a training exercise.

 

He had said things, done things that almost cost him his rank and his life before. He had been reckless and wild, careless in his drinking and actions. It had been a long, hard journey back to redemption, but he was making it with the help of some friends. He wasn't totally isolated and friendless in Rainbow. He had Montagne, who sort of sought to help Lion back on his feet; he had Finka, his CBRN partner and the person who had helped him get into Rainbow; and he also had Twitch, who had been the one to get Lion and Doc off killing each other. There were other people that were his friends. Not particularly close people, but friends nonetheless. He looked out for them and they looked out for him.

 

Having gone through so much in life, experiencing so much chaos both in his work and personal lives, Lion had long since become desensitized to a lot. He didn't react to his parents yelling at him with as more explosive rage anymore in the same way he didn't react to constant death and destruction before his eyes. 

 

Killing someone on the battlefield was no longer a big deal to him. It was just something he had to do as a part of his duty, no matter how vicious and violent the kill had to be. Even if he had to stab someone with his combat knife over and over again through the eye socket until they no longer moved, it was no longer a big deal.

 

And yet under all that... he was still human, wasn't he? How stone-like could a person be, even if he had served in the military for almost twenty years? 

 

He thought back to the man he had killed today. A terrorist. A pathetic excuse of a human being that deserved to die. When he stabbed the man, he actually saw fear in the man's eyes. Real, human fear. Lion did not think the man deserved to live for his crimes, but he couldn't help but think about it. He just kept stabbing, over and over again, until Finka ordered saw it and ordered him to stop.

 

In that moment, was he human, or a killing machine? He growled, burying his head in his hands as he sat, alone, in his locker. 

 

A knock came at the gate and he lifted his head up, seeing Finka there. She eyed him curiously. "You okay?" She asked, leaning against his closed locker door. 

 

Lion got up and headed to the gate, keying in his passcode and opening the gate for Finka to come in. "Just... thinking about things again," Lion sighed, shaking his head.

 

Finka raised an eyebrow. "You think a lot, don't you? What about this time?"

 

They sat back down on the bench in the locker. Lion rested his elbows on his knees, head drooping low for a bit, before he looked up again. "Lera, remember earlier today? That terrorist I stabbed to death?"

 

Finka nodded, but didn't interrupt Lion. "He deserved to die but thinking about it now, I'm wondering if I'm really human or just a machine. All I know is to listen to orders, kill the enemy, rinse and repeat. I've been so desensitized to death, I don't know if I'm human anymore."

 

Finka nodded and sighed, reaching out her hand to place her palm on Lion's knee. "All of us are desensitized in some way. It's the only way to function as a soldier. But, Olivier, I can assure you're not a machine. None of us are. It takes a human to do what we do. Robots don't know the difference between the innocent and the evil. Right?"

 

Lion sighed. "I suppose you're right."

 

Finka figured Lion was going to be in this mood for awhile, and the best course of action would be to just let him think things through. She stood up, patting Lion on the back. "Well, I'll be around if you need me, okay? Don't think too much, Olivier. You do too much of that sometimes."

 

And just like that, Lion was left to his thoughts again.


	7. One Drink Too Many

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this when I was drunk, please excuse my terrible writing.

You were out for dinner with your team, to celebrate the overall good performance and fighting through a very tough week of intense training, long nights, and more paperwork than you ever expected to have to tackle when you were a soldier and not a secretary. But regardless, all that was over, and now was the time for you and your team to relax and enjoy the night out, and the coming days off to reward you for your hard work.

 

It was your idea to hit the town for dinner, and had suggested a nice place. Not formal-wear level of nice, as you knew a lot of the team preferred something more casual, but it was nice nonetheless. The restaurant had a rustic vibe to it, that encompassed Hereford's charm within its confines, and partnered with the restaurant was a bar next door that you were definitely going to hit up as soon as dinner was done. 

 

It was a great dinner, celebrating with the team. The food was delicious though you and some of your friends had a hard time deciding on what to eat from the expansive menu. Chatter floated among the table, talking about all sorts of things under the sun, from what everyone was going to do on their off time, to questioning some of the things on the menu. 

 

After dinner, the team split up. Some with flights in the later hours returned to base to pack their things and take off, others deciding to explore the town. You had already made up your mind to hit up the bar next door, and agreeing to come along was Thermite, who definitely wanted to drink, and Maverick, who also wanted to drink, but was there to keep you and Thermite in check. Well, he was there mostly to keep Thermite in check, since he had a penchant to get overprotective when drunk, and far more inclined to punch someone. 

 

The bar was cozy with the number of people, but starting to edge on getting crowded. Booth seats were all taken, but the bar itself wasn't and hey, faster service if you were right at the counter. There was no hesitation in you snagging those seats before anyone else did, gesturing for the other two to hurry up. 

 

The first bar was great. You spent an hour or so hanging out there before it was time to move on, and Thermite had gotten a text from Ash inviting the trio down to another bar she and Smoke were hanging out at. How could Thermite decline Ash? And you? You were down for anything that involved another bar. Maverick was inclined to keep following, still having a mind to keep his friends in check, especially when they got progressively drunker at the next bar.

 

And Maverick was absolutely right. You and Thermite, now joined up with Ash and Smoke, definitely got drunker at the next bar. After another hour or so if drinking, you decided to take a short break from dancing drunkenly with Smoke to just sit at the bar and rest for awhile. 

 

One hand rested on your cup, but you weren't really drinking, just kind of sitting through the temporary haze of having drank too much while you stared at the counter. The bartender came up to you, looking concerned. 

 

"I think you've had too much to drink," He muttered, sliding you a glass of water. "Hope your hangover isn't too bad."

 

You just glanced up, his words only seeming to register after several seconds of delay. You looked back down at the cup in your hand, now filled with water. "What? Oh, yeah... thanks." As you sipped on the water and tried to convince yourself not to puke, you failed to notice as a man sidled up next to you.

 

He said something but you weren't listening - or, you were, but you don't remember what he said or what you said in response. He suddenly grabbed your wrist and tried to pull you out of your seat, which somewhat snapped you out of your drunken haze for a second, enough to yank your wrist out of his grasp. "Fuck off," You snapped, glaring at him before returning to your cup of water.

 

The drunk spell returned and kicked your energy out, and when he grabbed your wrist again and practically dragged you out of your seat, you couldn't find the energy to react, except to stumble out of your seat so that he wouldn't drag you to the floor.

 

Maverick noticed from his place across the bar where he sat at a booth with Ash and Thermite, chatting. Being on the inner seat, he couldn't exactly just get up and go, so he nudged Thermite and gestured in your general direction. "Trouble," Maverick muttered.

 

Thermite was absolutely having none of it. The Texan was out of his seat in an instant, already cracking his knuckles. Before the strange man with your wrist in a death grip could drag you off to goodness-knows-where, he was stopped as Thermite got in his way, blocking his path to the exit.

 

"Let go," Thermite ordered, his muscles tensing up to throw a punch already. 

 

The man was taller than Thermite, but far skinnier. Still, he tried to use his height as some leverage against Thermite, squaring his shoulders. "Back the fuck off man, I'm just helping 'em to the car." It was such a blatant lie, but Thermite was drunk, and the man thought he could possibly get away with it.

 

What a shame he didn't realise Thermite had over fifteen years of military training and service under his belt. He'd seen a lot, lived a lot. He'd been in a lot of bar fights, and a lot of terrible excuses thrown his way. This lie was so pathetically obvious that he couldn't help but let out a sarcastic grin. "Yeah, I don't think so buddy. I'm giving you one more chance to let go before shit gets real."

 

If the man had let go of your wrist immediately, nothing would have happened. But he chose to hesitate for a moment, then rear his hand back in an obvious threat to hit Thermite. The move was so obvious that the man may as well have announced that he was going to (pathetically) try to throw a punch and start counting down to when he was going to try it. 

 

Before the man's fist could lurch forward, Thermite's hardened, alcohol-fuelled fist connected with his stomach. The man let go of you and you just took a step back, amused at the fight you were about to witness. Ash drew you away to safety, out of range of the fight, but you were insistent on watching and truth be told, so was she. 

 

"That all ya got?" Thermite asked, as the man struggled to get back on his feet. He did, eventually, and surprisingly, pulled out a knife. It was a small switchblade, but a knife nonetheless. Thermite was amused by this. "Ah."

 

The man tried to rush Thermite with the knife, but he easily sidestepped it and let the man fall over again. By this time, Smoke had returned from the bathroom and saw what was going on, and by God was he going to get involved.

 

"What's going on?" Smoke asked as the man got back up. He turned around to see the man rushing him with the knife this time and stepped back, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it behind his back, forcing the man to the floor while Thermite plucked the knife out of his hand. "Well, this actually explains everything." He looked back towards the bar, seeing the bartender already on the phone with who was presumably the police. 

 

Smoke held the man down while they waited for the police to arrive, while you grinned and clapped, stumbling up to Thermite. "Oh, I love it when you do that," You giggled, clearly drunk. 

 

He just smiled back at you, holding you to keep you standing. "Mm, and you're drunk as hell. Come on, go sit down."

 

You were starting to get too tired to fight back, so you just went over to the booth and sat down with Ash and Maverick, while Thermite and Smoke went to handle the whole thing with the police. The man was arrested for assault and attempted kidnapping, and handed over to the police who just took several statements from the bartender and some other witnesses before they left. 

 

And by the time they were done and got back to the table, you were already fast asleep.


	8. Little Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Alibi x Maestro as requested on Tumblr. Sorry this one is pretty short.

Many of the Operators of Team Rainbow laid their lives out. They had little to hide, besides the most personal of secrets. Well, who didn't have some secrets that they wanted to keep? But they lived mostly open, truthful lives. Except for one, by the name of Aria "Alibi" de Luca. Her life was a lie. Well, not in the sense that she was more inclined to lie about everything, but rather the nature of his childhood and her work in the military as an undercover operator molded her into being a compulsive liar. She was vague about her history, her story changing from time to time, and while most were aware that she wasn't going to give the truth, it was relatively harmless. Her purpose was true, and that was all that was necessary.

 

There were few that she willingly gave her secrets to, and to have it was a high privilege. The only person among Rainbow to have this honour, was Adriano "Maestro" Martello. Maestro was very much the opposite of Alibi. He was truthful and open like most others, and it gave off a natural charisma and charm that made people trust him too. He was genuine and yet, he got along very well with his opposite.

 

Alibi and Maestro never spoke of their relationship must. At the surface, they were partners in their line of work. Six had done the evaluations and determined that perhaps, there was something more. Nothing had concrete evidence, so eventually it was inconclusive. Six left it alone after awhile.

 

But under the surface, there really was something more. Something that was blooming but not quite there yet. They remained professional, but perhaps knowingly, sought to be closer. When they were off-duty, that was when things were really allowed to move. Late nights drinking, sweet words whispered, dancing under the stars of Rome and dozens of other places. When they were no longer under the watchful eyes of Rainbow, they flourished.

 

Alibi was good at keeping up the facade that nothing happened between them while they were on-duty, and perhaps from their time spent together, Maestro was also pretty good at keeping that his little secret. And thankfully he had friends who were just as good at keeping secrets, for one night he fell asleep on the couch in the recreation room.

 

Alibi was a light sleeper, and figured no one would be around, so she quietly crept into his arms and slept there too, careful not to wake Maestro or anyone else that could be around. 

 

There was one person who noticed, but it was only Maverick, and he was a keeper of secrets. People found it easy to trust him and confide in him, without the risk of rumours travelling, so he only smiled a little at the sight and left, knowing that by the time anyone else got up, Alibi would be gone already, and their little secret would remain a mystery.

 

In the morning, when Maestro woke up with his back aching from the terrible posture to sleep in, Alibi was long gone from his arms, but he had a feeling she had been there, and he relished in that feeling of knowing she sought his company, even if for a fleeting moment. As much as he would have liked to pursue, some things just had to remain secrets.


	9. Cold Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got on board the Jackal x Buck ship yeehaw

Winter had descended upon Hereford. This year, the cold had hit harder then it had in a long time, and Hereford Base's heating was failing to keep up with fighting off the cold. The Operators of Team Rainbow were bundling up, even inside, and the kettle and stove worked more furiously than ever to keep the hot water for drinks going. With a snowstorm slamming into most of Hereford and the surrounding area, Six had called off training exercises since anyone who so much as stepped out of base would immediately get buried in snow. Several Operators who were on deployment were delayed in their return since no helicopter could fly through a snowstorm as violent as this.

 

That meant the base was more crowded than ever since no one supposed to be training could even get to the training grounds, and no one supposed to be leaving for their off-duty rotation could get out of base. The recreation room was too full of war veterans lazing about and trying to stay warm. The television droned on with updates on the weather outside, showing videos of the blinding white snowstorm that raged on outside, along with a radio on the other side of the room, sitting on the pantry counter, that spat out the same news.

 

Not Jackal however. The Spaniard, used to the warmer temperatures of Ceuta, was curled up on his bed in a heavy jacket Buck had lent to him, buried under the sheets and playing on his phone as Buck was downstairs in the pantry, making something to eat probably. The two had been downstairs in the recreation room several hours ago, playing against Jäger in a game of pool, but found the German engineer nearly unbeatable. Once the recreation room got more crowded, they had retreated upstairs to Jackal's room to chill out - literally and figuratively.

 

Buck had been gone for well over a half hour already, so Jackal sat up, wondering what was taking the Canadian so long. Grumbling as he pulled the jacket further up his shoulders, he pushed himself out of bed, pocketing his phone. He rubbed his hands together as he left the bedroom and headed downstairs to the crowded recreation room, where Rainbow's Operators milled around idly. As he got to the pantry, he realised just why Buck had been taking so long as it the small pantry was packed, and the kettle was not enough for everyone. Jackal noticed the mug rack had been raided. 

 

Buck was off to a corner of the pantry, with both his own and Jackal's mugs on the counter top behind him. The Canadian was holding something above his head, out of reach of a rather furious Mozzie.

 

"Mate, if ya don't give that back right I swear to fucking everything I'm gonna stab ya!" Mozzie hissed, though his threat only earned him a cheeky smile from Buck.

 

"Really?" Buck asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement as he held Mozzie's mug in the air. "What are you going to stab me with? A butter knife?" He was taken by surprise by Jackal as the taller Spaniard looped an arm around his waist, pulling him in for a kiss. Buck kissed Jackal in return, lowering the mug enough for Mozzie to snatch it back before it could be pulled away again. 

 

Jackal let go of Buck and grinned to Mozzie. "You're welcome, by the way," Jackal smirked to Mozzie, as the Australian glared at Buck silently before taking his mug with him, grumbling about having to lock the mug away from everyone else. Jackal's attention returned to Buck. "I was wondering why you were taking so long. Have you been bullying Max this entire time?"

 

Buck playfully pushed Jackal. "You have to admit it was funny," He replied. Next to him, a separate water boiler switched off automatically as it was done boiling water, and on the stove, the kettle began to whistle. Buck already had coffee powder in both mugs and stuck them under the boiler tap, turning it on and letting hot water stream into the mugs. He stirred them briefly with a spoon before rinsing it under the freezing cold tap water and tossing it back onto the drying rack, hanging Jackal's mug to him and taking his own in his hands.

 

If there was one thing Rainbow's pantry had a surplus of, it was coffee. The cupboards were stocked with many types of coffee - Arabica coffee, coffee powder tins, sachets of coffee and creamer, and more. There were several boxes of tea as well, but they were overshadowed by the tins, boxes, and packets of coffee. Jackal had no idea whose coffee stash Buck had gotten into, because the coffee in the mug between his cold hands tasted different from his own. It was not an unwelcome change, but it was different. 

 

They headed back up to the bedroom, sipping hot coffee along the way. Jackal's nose was a little flushed from the cold, which Buck found adorable as they settled back into bed. Normally when they cuddled, Jackal was behind Buck given that he was just taller and how that made more sense, but Buck was used to the cold and held Jackal in his arms instead to keep the Spaniard warm.

 

The outside may have been cold, but it was warm and comfortable inside, even as the snowstorm outside raged on.


End file.
